


Clense

by Kamiki



Series: Tumblr Fanfic Prompts [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bathtubs, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2014-07-31
Packaged: 2018-02-11 04:58:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2054526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamiki/pseuds/Kamiki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I solicited short fic prompts on Tumblr.</p><p>ohgodsabove said:</p><p>hey there, still doing stucky prompts? Steve washing bucky's hair after he finally comes back from hunting down hydra</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clense

Steve didn’t want to push him. He had a thousand questions he wanted to ask him, but for now, he was content that Bucky was here at all. He wasn’t speaking much, spending large amounts of time just sitting on the couch, lost in his own head. 

He didn’t want to sleep; though Steve could tell he needed to. His eyes were boodshot, with dark bags under his eyes. He also smelled like he hadn’t had a bath…well, probably sense he came out of cryo last. “Hey,” he said gently, trying to bring it up slowly. “Why don’t you borrow my shower and clean yourself up a bit? You’ll feel better.”

Bucky’s eyes darted over to him, but his shoulders tensed up. He didn’t explicitly say no, but the thought didn’t appeal to him at all. When Bucky had been on missions as The Soldier, he didn’t sleep or bathe until the job was done; then when he would come back he would be stripped and hosed off hastily with cold water in the laboratory chemical shower. Sometimes they would shave his beard when his stubble got in the way of his face mask.

Steve could pick up on Bucky’s hesitation, and tried to offer him a supportive smile. “C’mon,” he said, with a gentle but prodding tone. He clapped Bucky on the shoulder and encouraged him to come with him to Steve’s bathroom. Bucky followed, uneasy but obeying.

Carefully and slowly, Steve undressed Bucky. His hands were shaking, and he was careful to keep looking at Bucky to make sure he was okay with every move. It was the first time Steve got a good luck at his old friend; bare and naked before him he let his eyes take inventory of the deep scars that waved across his skin. They spidered out from metal arm, and slashed across his left legs and thighs. He wondered if those were products of the fall; because like himself he was hard to scar after the serum with his healing abilities. 

Steve could feel the tension in his muscles as Bucky was naked, waiting to be shoved into the shower and rinsed. The blonde man nodded his head reassuringly and went over to his garden tub instead, turning on the water and fiddling with the controls until he found a warm but comfortable temperature.

He looked back to Bucky, nodding invitingly. 

Bucky’s eyes went to the water pooling in the tub, watching the steam waft off the water in the cool bathroom. A frown tugged at the side of his mouth, his skin breaking out in goosepimples. He hadn’t had a warm bath or shower since before he was deployed to war; a distant and alien memory.

Steve gently guided him to the water, and Bucky’s eyes went wide in surprise as he stepped into the warm water. He hated the cold water in the showers; it reminded him of the Ice. But this, well….this was nice. He exhaled and sank into the tub, surprised by how comforting and warm the lapping water was over his skin.

Steve was patient and kind; having retrieved soap and a washrag from his linen closet. He gently scrubbed away years worth of grime and blood and sweat. Bucky let him, and even on occasion would grant Steve the pleasure of a small, hesitant smile. Each one he was sure to return back with his all-star, heart melting smile of his own. 

Bucky let Steve shave him; not having bothered to done so himself in a long time, his mask long forgotten. Steve felt like some sort of sculpter; carving out his old friend out of his dirty, broken man that had landed on his doorstep.

Finally, Steve gently washed his hair; long and strangly and full of knots. It was the final “touch” to his Bucky sculpture. He kneeled by the rub and let his strong, sure fingers massage Bucky’s scalp, leaving his dark hair looking slicked back against his skull, once it was rinsed.

It was him. For the first time, all the little ghosts of doubt were chased out of his mind. Steve was looking down at his best friend; looking the most like he remembered him since he saw him last. He smiled, and caught himself blinking back tears. “Hey Bucky,” he found himself saying.

Bucky, his eyes having closed at some point opened, looking straight into Steve’s crystal clear blue ones. “Hey Steve-o,” he said, and let a smile settle onto his lips. 

For the first time in forever…. Bucky was home.

**Author's Note:**

> Want one of your own? Suggest it!
> 
> http://foxyfussings.tumblr.com/ask


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